The hardest part of James's plan for the locket would be the waiting game that they had to play in the time leading up to executing the plan - that, and the fact that they never knew when the plan would actually begin until it had. The plan entirely hinged on Voldemort and the actions that the Dark Lord would take to get the locket into his hands.
After holiday, however, James did call a meeting of the Order of the Phoenix and everyone met up in the magical meeting room, gathered about listening to James's plan. Murmurings of how insane James Potter had to be in order to come up with such a nutter idea went about them all, and the members turned to Remus and Emmaline - the smartest two in the lot of them - to confirm that it would work.
"Obviously there are a lot of ifs and buts," Remus said.
"Butts," snickered Sirius, elbowing James, who rolled his eyes.
"I think it'll work, though," Remus said, ignoring Sirius's snickers.
Emmaline nodded, "Yeah, I agree. I think it's incredibly risky but I don't see any reason why it wouldn't work."
"And you think the curse will fall to me?" James asked.
Emmaline looked uncomfortable, "I mean, yes, but..."
"I really wish there was a way to stop that," Remus muttered, shaking his head. He looked at Emmaline, "We should've put in an escape clause."
"Yes, I agree," Emmaline replied, "But we didn't want there to be any loopholes, remember..."
"Yeah," Remus sighed.
James said, "So long as it falls to me and not anyone else. I can handle it... I don't want the others getting it. That part is absolutely vital."
Remus nodded, "If you go about it the way we figured then it shouldn't fall to anyone else. Regulus gave it to you before the plan was made, so he won't get the curse for sure, and you're the one giving it over knowing it will end up in Voldemort's hands. So long as you don't offer it to him before he demands it, Peter..."
Peter shivered.
"...then James will get the curse."
James nodded. "And for the rest of you - you all know your jobs. Of course we don't know when everything will move into place, so you've got to be ready. All hours of the day and night."
Everyone looked among each other nervously. If even one piece was out of place... Well, a great deal of trouble could result, as the plan relied on each one of them in some way or another. This was the ultimate game of trust... Everyone had to trust everyone else would do their part.
And so it was that with the plan set in place, James and Sirius snuck out of the castle one night, through the passageway that led out to the Shrieking Shack, and down the streets of Hogsmeade. They made it to the far end of the road, past the Hog's Head pub, and down the path a ways, toward the mountains beyond the village.
When they were out of sight and sound of the village, Sirius reached into his pocket and withdrew his tiny motorbike. "Engorgio," he cast and the bike grew to it's regular size. Sirius took out the helmets from the side bag he'd attached and stuck his own on, handing Remus's to James, who pulled it on over his head. They climbed on board and Sirius said, grinning, "Press those pecs against me, Prongsie, and hold on tight!"
James muttered, "This is why you suggested the motorbike." He leaned forward and hugged onto Sirius.
Sirius grinned, "It wasn't why, but it's a mighty grand perk, you sexy bastard!" And the motorbike roared to life as Sirius kick-started the engine, the body shaking beneath them as they vibrated into the sky, soaring up over the trees, passing a flying thestral as they went, up-up-up into the clouds. They flew south at top speed, soaring over farms and fields, forests and dark towns and cities... All the way to the quiet little town where the Lupin house stood quiet on a hill overlooking a sleepy town.
The sun was just coming up when they arrived and James was sore from sitting straddled on the back of the bike, and his fingers were cold, achey as he released them from his grip on Sirius. They snuck around the back of the house, shrinking the motorbike so that it wouldn't be seen. James and Sirius knelt beside the trap door that led into the bomb shelter - the wolf hole, as they'd come to call it since James had used the term - and James quickly cast the several incantations he'd created to keep the door from being easily opened. He and Sirius climbed down into the darkness below, and James climbed over several knocked over shelves, and reached into a tear in a mattress in the far corner, the stuffing coming out of it. He fished about a moment, then withdrew his fist, holding the locket tight.
Sirius looked around the dismal space. "To think fucking Lyall Lupin expected his son to spend several nights here every month..." he shook his head.
"Yeah," James sighed.
"It isn't fair, the way they treat werewolves," Sirius said.
James shook his head. "Not at all."
"That's the one good thing, you know, about Voldemort's agenda. He doesn't mistreat Greyback and his army anymore or less than he mistreats anyone else. They're the same to him, so long as they have pureblood."
"I reckon a good deal of werewolves were muggles before they turned," James pointed out, "Not all of them are wizards. Doubt Voldemort wants equal rights for that lot."
"Yeah, I s'pose."
"It isn't about the humanity to him," James added, "It's about the blood."
"Fuck blood," Sirius answered, spitting.
James nodded. He stared at the locket, spinning from the end of it's chain in his fist. He looked at Sirius. "You reckon it'll work? The plan?"
"If Moony says it will, it will," Sirius answered.
James sighed, "What if... something goes wrong?"
"With Peter?"
"Yeah."
"He's the one I'm worried about, too," Sirius replied. Then, "Blast. I wish it could be me. I wish I could be the one to bring it to him. I could you know, if you want. Just give it to me instead."
James shook his head, "The only way to save Peter is if it's him who brings it."
Sirius stared at the locket, too, for a long moment. "Yeah, I reckon you're right."
Finally, James shook himself from the thoughts that he and Sirius had fallen into. He tucked the locket 'round his neck and into his jumper so it laid against his chest cold and heavy. "Let's get back before my parents wake up," he said.
Sirius nodded, "Yeah, we don't need mum and dad seeing us."
They climbed back out of the wolf hole and James sealed it up again, and they rushed off through the trees in the back, down a long hill, and far out of sight of the Lupin house before James would allow Sirius to engorge the motorbike again.
The flight back to Hogwarts was a long one, James feeling more and more sour the longer he wore the locket, the wind and sleet hitting their helmets annoying him so that he wanted to yell at Sirius for not flying lower to give them some cloud cover or else higher to rise above the storm...
They arrived back to the castle as the sun was coming up over the eastern horizon, bathing the grounds in gold and pink. They managed to join the crowd going into the Great Hall for breakfast, and no one was the wiser -- aside from those in the Order -- that James and Sirius hadn't spent the nights tucked up in their dormitory.
Lily sat beside James at the Gryffindor table. "Did you get it?"
"Of course I bloody got it, we're not idiots," James said roughly. "It's not like it's hard to get a locket out of a hole." He rolled his eyes.
Lily looked at Remus dolefully.
After breakfast, in the dorm, the Marauders (and Lily) stood about a desk, where they'd laid out the locket. Remus was referring to a textbook, his hand shaking as he said the spell that would turn the locket into a portkey, with certain conditions that need apply before the transport would occur. He stared nervously at the locket after the magic had settled in.
"Reckon we should test it?" James asked.
"How are we going to test it?" Sirius asked, "None of us can become Moldy."
"Well if one of us touches it and we don't, you know — poof — it must be cast correctly," reasoned James.
They all looked at one another with hesitation in their eyes. "Oh it isn't as though we don't know where it goes!" Lily said finally, and she grabbed onto the locket as James hurriedly grabbed onto her to assure she didn't go disappearing alone. But thankfully nothing happened.
James breathed a sigh of relief and let go of Lily's arm. "Sorry, Evans," he said, knowing she didn't like people grabbing onto her like that.
"It's alright," she answered. Then, to Remus, "It appears you've done it, Rey. Good job."
Remus flushed, "Thanks."
"Yeah, good one, Moony!" Sirius said, clapping Remus on the back. "I'm thumpin', proud of ya."
Remus said, "Hopefully it's not that it just doesn't work at all, though," he flushed, "I mean, there's no way of telling that much."
Peter's voice was sincere, "You've cast it, Moony, I'm sure it's most excellent."
"Thanks Wormtail," Remus replied. "I hope so."
The spell set, James took the necklace off the desk and stared at it for a long moment. He thought long and hard about the plan, about the fact that once he gave the locket over, it would be destined to be given to Voldemort. It was his choice to freely give it up into the hands of someone he knew would surrender it at first demand, and he was doing it anyway... He was the one who would break the contract, then, as he was the one who was making the choice. And when he was really good and sure he'd thought about it carefully and thoroughly, James turned and handed the locket willingly to Peter Pettigrew, setting the plan in motion.